Five times, plus an extra one
by MsDaHedgehog
Summary: Five times Liz crashed out on Resslers couch and the one time she didn't. Keenler. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

_**Me again! I know I have two other fics on the go for Blacklist but I just couldn't help myself! I'm finding it really hard to stick with one and keep going and sometimes I just need a break :D Anyway; read, enjoy and review! I love hearing how you guys feel about my fics and getting reviews really does help me keep the momentum going!**_

* * *

The first time she passed out from exhaustion on his couch happened the first time she had ever visited him at his apartment. Their partnership hadn't called for them participating in home visits yet on that very night he found himself face to face at his own front door with his partner, who had tears threatening to fall.

"I didn't know where else to go."

He let her in without a second thought, stepping to the side so she could pass over the threshold and in to his personal space. She waited for him to close the door and lead her through the apartment; not wanting for it to seen like she was intruding anymore than she already was. Once he had her seated on the couch in the living room, he disappeared but returned not a minute later with two cold bottle of beer, one of which he pressed in her hand. She gave him a questioning look.

"Looked like you could do with one."

She sighed and gave him a small nod. "I guess you're right." She raised the bottle to her lips then downed almost all the icy liquid.

"Jeez, Keen, slow down. Talk to me."

And she did. She told him everything. Went in to full detail about the reasoning of Tom's existence in her life and that Reddington had killed her father to keep him from telling her something important. Told him about the surveillance cameras tat were set up in her house and about all she had uncovered about the mysterious 'Berlin'. She cried untold amounts of tears and leaned on him for support and comfort like she had in the aftermath of being held captive by The Stewmaker.

He kept his arm around her shoulders, securing her to his side. "Stay here tonight, have my room. I don't want you going back there, especially not alone. I'll go with you tomorrow, call it in and stay while the Crime Scene Techs go over everything."

"Thanks, Ressler." She nodded against him then extracted herself from his grip. They were silent for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"You want and chamomile tea or something? It's supposed to help you relax."

She raised an eyebrow to him. "Never took you as a tea drinker."

He gave her a single laugh. "I'm not. It was in a gift basket my mom got me when I was recovering from being shot. Apparently I was 'very edgy' and needed help to stay relaxed."

"Now that I can believe. Did it work?" He shook his head.

"No, because when she wasn't looking I poured the stuff in the potted plant she'd also bought me. Can't stand the stuff."

"I never minded the taste. Sure, I'll have one." She gave him a small smile of thanks.

He nodded and left her sitting on the couch and headed to the kitchen. He filled the kettle and switched it on to boil before he pulled a mug from the cupboard and placed a teabag in the bottom. He poured the scalding water on top of the bag and turned his nose up at the murky contents of the mug. He let it brew for a few minutes (having read on the box that it was best) before taking the weird smelling mug to the living room. He stopped dead in the doorway at the sight of his partner.

She was laying full length, shoeless and fast asleep on his couch. She had her left cheek pressed against a cushion, one hand rested on her stomach and the other by her side. He noticed as she stepped closer to her that she was snoring lightly, which caused him to smile. He guessed that she'd worn herself out, which wasn't all that surprising given the amount she'd cried in the past two hours.

"So much for taking my room."

He placed the mug on the coffee table, walked over to the corner and grabbed the knitted, woollen blanket he kept thrown over the recliner there. Silently, he carefully draped the blanket over his sleeping partner and creeped out the room, turning the light off on his way to the bathroom. Ressler stood watching his reflection in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, his mind wondering to the woman asleep on his couch. He had witnessed her life slowly crumble over the last how ever many months they'd been working together, and now he knew why.

He finished up, went to his bedroom, changed in to a pair of pyjama pants and settled himself in bed for the night, knowing full well that he was in for a restless nights sleep.

It wasn't until they were in their respective cars with him following her to her house that he realised that, that morning, was the best rested she'd seemed since the day he had met her when Reddington first handed himself in.


	2. Chapter 2

The second time it happened was the night Meera died. She had escorted their friends body to the morgue and he had gone back to the Post Office without uttering a single word to her. By the time she got back herself, every agent had already been told what had happened. Aram was at his desk, unashamedly letting tears fall as he stared at Meera's empty desk. As soon as he saw Liz, he jumped up and hugged her, before releasing her to go in search of her partner. She found him in their office, drinking straight from the bottle of scotch he kept in his desk draw.

"Come on." She said to him, grabbing his coat and keys.

"Where?" His voice came out hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in months.

"Yours. I'm taking you home."

And she did. They reached his apartment twenty-five minutes after leaving the Post Office. He let them both in but left her to close the door herself. When she entered his living room, she found him sitting on the couch with another bottle of scotch, the liquor cabinet in the corner open.

She sat down next to him and they stayed in silence for a few minutes. She could feel the weight of the day surrounding them, and by the look on her partners face, he was taking the brunt of it.

She placed a hand on his arm and stopped him from drinking anoymore.

"It wasn't your fault, Ressler."

He looked at her, eyes red-rimmed and shining with un-fallen tears.

"Yes, it was. We knew of the threat, yet I still told her to separate. We should have stayed together but I sent her off. So yes, Keen, it's my fault."

He shook her hand off and removed his jacket. The cuffs of his pristine white shirt were drenched with stains of Meera's blood, as was part of his torso. Both he and Liz had tried deserately to stop the bleeding, only to find the wound was too deep and she bled out within minutes.

Liz removed her own jacket some time later - her shirt bore the identical marks as his did. He stared at the stains on both of their clothes and realised wasn't the only one going through this, it must be difficult for Liz to. He passed her the bottle and she took a generous swig before handing it back. The game of pass the parcel with the bottle carried on until it was drained of liquid, both agents feeling equally tipsy.

"I'm gonna change. You want a top of something to sleep in?"

She only nodded to him, suddenly overcome with exhaustion at the mention of sleep. She watched him disappear down the hall, stumbling ever so slightly. She wanted to smile but stopped herself, it didn't feel right, not yet.

She removed her boots and draped her jacket over the back of the couch. She lent her head against the arm and closed her eyes while waiting for her partner to come back, unaware that she was slowly slipping in to a deep sleep.

Ressler returned not five minutes later, dressed in his pyjamas and carrying his old college jersey for her. Upon seeing his partner, though, he simply placed the jersey on the small table, grabbed the same blanket from last time and laid it over her. He had intended for her to take his room but one again that idea was out, he didn't want to wake her. He considered taking another bottle from the cabinet but thought better of it, knowing that it would just make things worse. He nudged it shut on the way back out of the room, hoping he and his partner both woke in a position to catch the bastard who killed their friend.

* * *

He woke next morning to a pounding head and the smell of coffee, Liz was standing over him, fully dressed with her jacket on, holding a glass of water in one hand and a tub of aspirin in the other.

"Cooper called, he needs us in. Coffees one the dresser, and I'm driving."

How this woman managed to wake up raring to go, he had no idea.


	3. Chapter 3

_**I apologise in advance for the patheticness of this chapter. I, honestly, hate it and I actually had to force myself to finish writing this. **_

* * *

The third time she crashed on his couch was the first night he stopped depending on pills. They'd been flown back from Sitka to DC on Reddingtons private jet (she didn't even bother asking how he'd known they'd needed it). Ressler refused to actively speak to her the whole way, choosing just to simply nod or shake his head when spoken to. Reddington had a car pick them up from the airport and the drive to Resslers apartment was filled with complete silence from all parties. Her purse still held his keys, gun and badge from when she'd found them in the cabin - he had kept hold of the thin orange pill bottle he'd snatched away from her a few hours ago. The driver dropped them off outside Resslers building before giving Liz a single nod and driving off. She led them upstairs to the fourth floor but it wasn't until the door to his apartment had been closed behind them that Ressler finally spoke.

"Thanks, Keen, for... today. But you don't have to stay, I'm fine." He was embarrassed, _humiliated_ by the days events and ashamed that his addiction had finally been found out.

"I know." She nudged him further in to the apartment in the direction of the living room with a hand pressed against his back. "But, if it's okay with you, I think I'll stay. Coffee?"

Normally, he would have commented on the fact that he'd been offered his own coffee in his own home but he couldn't bring himself to do anything but nod in her direction and leave her in the doorway. Liz waited long enough in the doorway to see him sit on the couch before venturing in to his kitchen, making them both a scalding cup of coffee and taking it with her to the living room. Ressler nodded his thanks as she placed both mugs of the small table in front of the couch. They stayed in silence for twenty minutes, both sipping away at the hot drink before them. She wasn't looking in his direction but she heard him take a deep breath and seconds later he started talking.

"It started when I got shot protecting Reddington."

Liz looked round at him. He kept he eyes away from hers and she could tell that making eye contact would make him feel weak and she understood the feeling.

"But it got worse from there?" She was surprised when he shook his head.

"I made myself stop. I noticed that I became dependant on them after a few weeks but I almost managed to stop, got right down to taking one every now and then but still cutting down. I thought I was doing okay on my own."

"What changed?" As far as she could remember, he hadn't been injured enough after that point to warrant medication.

"Audrey." He finally looked up at his partner and, upon seeing her confused expression, continued. "When she was killed - the pain of losing her was so _powerful_ that I believed the meds would help numb me, and they did. I didn't even realise what I was doing until it was too late and I'd become addicted again, only this time it was worse."

"Worse how?" She was glad he was finally talking to her, letting her in, something which he would never had done when they first met.

"I blamed myself, still do. My efforts to protect her but her in danger and she died because of it. I just... wanted the pain to _go away_ and it did." He sighed, rubbed his eyes and laid back against the couch, Liz staying where she was. "She was pregnant and I started taking them more frequently so fade away the pain of losing my unborn child."

"Oh, Don." Liz laced her fingers between his and watched as he brushed away the single tear that fell from beneath his lashes.

"After a while I found that I couldn't get through the day without taking them. I tried, but then I suffered with withdrawal and I gave in. I'm not proud of it, who would be? I can't have anyone else involved in this Liz, but I need to stop. I almost got you killed in Warsaw and myself today."

"I can help you, keep you on track. With the case over we have a few days off. First course of action is to get rid of any temptations."

Ressler only nodded hand held out the small bottle still clutched in his hand. She took it and disappeared to the bathroom and moments later, he heard the toilet flush, knowing that it marked the beginning of a long and difficult road.

"You need to sleep, Don, it's been a long day." Liz was back and giving him a pointed look and he knew not to argue. He let his aching body direct him to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed, Liz coming over and pulling the blankets over him.

"Night, Don." She had reached the door when she heard his whispered reply.

"Thank you, Liz, night."

Liz had finally fallen asleep after a few hours of tossing and turning on the couch, thinking about her partner. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep but the sounds of Ressler whimpering in his own slumber woke her. She slipped back in to his room, finding him drenched in sweat and shaking. She knew the withdrawal was setting in - it had been hours since he would have been due to take a new dose of pills.

"Ressler? Don!" His eyes shot open and he pulled himself up, still shaking.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Jeez, I haven't felt like this in a while."

"Take a shower, I'll make you a drink."

She went to the kitchen and five minutes later and mug of tea was sitting on the table waiting for him. Liz heard the shower shit off after another five minutes and Ressler appeared wearing nothing but a towel. She went to move and make room for him but he stopped her, instead choosing to sit on the floor in front of the couch. She laid back down, her hand resting mere inches from his exposed shoulder.

"I don't know how to cope, Liz. For months I've depended on the pills and... all I can feel is pain. I know it's not really there but it feels like it is."

"It'll take time to adjust but if going cold turkey is too much, I won't think any less of you for asking for help."

He shook his head but didn't say anything further, just fell in to silence with his back to her. After a while his breathing evened out and when he looked, she found he'd fallen back to sleep. Thinking it would be best not to wake him, Liz pulled the blanket she had draped over her legs and wrapped it round him before drifting off to sleep herself, once again evaluating the change in hers and Resslers relationship.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you for those kind reviews. They really helped to reinstall a little bit of confidence back in to me! Slightly happier with this chapter, but still, not as good as it could be but I hope you enjoy it all the same.**_

* * *

The fourth time it happened, she had only originally intended to stay long enough to apologise for involving him in her business with Tom. She hated the fact that she'd put him in a position where, if it came to it, his position at the FBI would be on the line. None of this was her intention, it never was but sometimes, things just don't go the way they're planned.

They'd left the Blacksite together more than two hours ago, bidding each other good night before getting in their respective cars. Ressler had driven away almost instantly but Liz continued to sit there, thinking about every thing that had happened over the past couple of days. She'd been sitting there for over an hour before it dawned on her that she hadn't actually apologised to her partner for dragging him in to her problems with Tom. She didn't want to call him and say it over the phone and she didn't want to face going back to her empty motel room. Not wanting to wait and do it tomorrow either, Liz started her car and made to fifty minute ride to Resslers apartment. Face to face apologises were always more sincere.

When she knocked on his door, she found herself waiting longer than she had before. It caused her to worry slightly, though she found that it wasn't warranted. When he finally answered the door, large metal spoon in one hand and a dishcloth over his shoulder, his face portraying confusion, it was clear he was busy in the kitchen when she had knocked.

"Keen, what's wrong?"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry."

He moved to the side and beckoned her in; the smell of home cooked food teasing her senses as soon as she stepped in.

"What are you sorry for?" He searched her tired eyes but found no answer.

"For everything," It was true, she _was_ sorry for every thing, but that wasn't what she was supposed to say.

Ressler chuckled lightly before leading her towards the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and passing it to her. "You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that, Liz."

"Tom." Resslers face filled with a show of disgust at the name of her ex-husband. He should have known that it wasn't the last he'd hear about it tonight. "For dragging you in to the mess I made for myself. For lying to you for months about it all. This could all blow up in my face and now I've gotten you involved, it could all blow up in yours."

Ressler nodded in understanding. "I get it, Keen, and I'm prepared to take the risk. I'm your partner, Liz, I've got your back and I always will do." He turned away from her and busied himself with the stove. Liz couldn't help but smile at the back of her partners head. At the beginning of their partnership, neither one of them felt they could trust the other but, now, that had all changed.

"Hey," Resslers voice snapped her back to reality. "You eaten?"

She shook her head and sipped away at her beer.

"Good, I made too much pasta, I hope you like garlic... and chicken."

Liz couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I do. Never took you be a cook."

"I wasn't," He grabbed two plates from the dishwasher and loaded them both up. "But I realised that I couldn't live off take-out and frozen meals for the rest of my life."

An hour later they were both sitting in comfortable silence, watching an old film with beers in hand. No more had been spoken about Tom, nor the seriousness of the situation they now found themselves in. It was clear to Ressler though, that it was still weighing heavily on Liz's mind, even if she did put on a strong mask. He noticed that, after a while, Liz started to stifle yawn after yawn and he found himself smirking at her, which earned him a slap on the shoulder.

"Hey! Don't take your tiredness out on me." She gave him a sleepy grin before getting up and reaching for her coat. "What are you doing?"

"Going back to the motel to sleep?" She was in the middle of shrugging her coat on when he stopped her.

"Stay. It's late and you're exhausted, just change in to the clothes you keep in your car tomorrow. You okay with the couch again?"

She nodded. "Thanks. Your couch is surprisingly comfy, you know." Ressler got up took their dirty dinner things to the kitchen. Liz kicked off her boots and padded towards the bathroom, found a spare face cloth and washed away that days make-up before relieving herself. When she re-entered the living room, she found that Ressler had laid out a pillow and think blanket, making her a makeshift bed for the night.

"Beat you this time. Usually I leave the room, come back and you've passed out but I thought you'd enjoy the extras." He gave her his signature half smile as he gestured to the couch, causing her to laugh.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Night, Liz."

"Night, Don."

While Liz fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Ressler laid awake thinking about everything that had happened over the past few months. He and his partner had opened up to each other more and had shared things they wouldn't dare tell anybody else. He was glad that he found he could trust Liz, know that she'd have his back, be there when he needed her and he glad that she knew he'd do the same. That's what they needed in their partnership. They'd grown to be more than partners, they were friends, and he was happy that they were. His last thought of the night was, if she was gonna keep dropping by, he might as well give her his spare key and she could just let herself in.

* * *

Morning came with the sound of her phone vibrating loudly on the table in front of her. She wasn't sure how many times it had rung, but she knew that she was far too comfortable to reach over and answer it. The phone buzzed again a single time and she finally reached over for it, opening the message from Reddington and discovering that if she and Ressler wasn't outside his apartment in twenty minutes, he was coming up for them. Groaning, she got up and padded to the kitchen, switched on the coffee maker then made her way to Resslers bedroom.

"Don?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Reddington wants us downstairs in twenty minutes."

"Screw him."

Liz laughed before yanking the blankets away from her partner causing him to yelp at the sudden change in temperature. He was bare chested and only wearing a thin pair of sleeping shorts.

"KEEN" He rubbed his eyes before pulling the discarded blankets back over himself.

"You want Red to come up here? Because he's threatening to do it."

"No. I'm gonna shower, you can make the coffee."

She eyed him as he groggily made his way to the bathroom. Liz didn't realise it, but her heart was pounding that little bit harder after seeing her partner practically wearing nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

The fifth time it happened, it was after the closing of the Kenyon Family case. It didn't really surprise either of them. They both knew it would happen again at some point after a particularly trying case. and for such an occasion, a thick blanket and fluffy pillow were left on the corner armchair that was hardly ever used.

It was closing in on eleven thirty when Ressler heard a key in the lock. Liz was the only person who had a spare key, even his mother didn't. That still didn't stop him from pulling his gun from his holster though. Liz closed the door behind her, leaning back against and staring at her partner, who was now putting his gun back away. It took a couple of minutes for them both to fully register that one: she had just let herself in with no warning, meaning that something had either happened or was on her mind, and two: that she was soaking wet and leaving a small puddle on the inside doormat.

"Jeez, Keen. Did you walk here or something?"

She just nodded as he fetched her a towel from the hall closet. He handed it to her and gestured for her coat, which she shook off and her left her standing at the door while he went to hang the drenched thing over the bath. She was still towelling her hair off when he re-emerged in front of her, carrying a pair of sweats and a sweater, both of which would probably be miles too big.

"These are the smallest ones I could find. You know where the bathroom is." He walked away from her and she knew he, like her, was still feeling the effects of the case.

She felt odd wearing Resslers clothes. They were too big for her, but after rolling up the sleeves of the sweater to use her hands and the top of the pants over a few times, she was able to walk without tripping over. Her hair was still slightly damp from rain, leaving her feeling uncomfortable - she'd never liked having wet hair.

Ressler was seated on the couch when she entered the living room, staring blankly down at his feet with a steaming white mug of something clutched in his hands. Upon further inspection, she found her own mug placed on the coffee table. She grabbed it and seated herself on the opposite end of the couch, tucking her feet up under her as she sipped away at her hot cocoa.

"Your car at the motel?" The sound of his voice startled her, she hadn't expected him to actually speak.

"Yeah... I couldn't stay there any longer. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see were the faces of all those kids. I don't know whether it was the fact that they were only kids, or the fact that they all had their eyes open that's haunting me so much. I went for a walk with the hopes of clearing my head but it started raining and I ended up here. You should really start double locking your door." She gave him a small smirk over the top of her mug, waiting for a response, seeing as he'd been silent while she spoke.

"That would defeat the purpose of giving you a key if you couldn't use it. You'd just wake me otherwise. Plus, I have a gun." She chuckled before they fell back in to silence. It was a few minutes before Ressler spoke again, somewhat quietly. "I know what you mean by being able to see them when you close your eyes. I don't think I've ever seen that many dead people in one place, let alone kids, and that's saying something seeing as I've been on the job for years."

Liz nodded but didn't say anything, nothing more needed to be said. They both knew what the other was going through, and though they weren't admitting it, having each other close by somehow seemed to make every thing better.

"Reddington bought me an apartment." Liz blurted out sometime later.

"Oh?" That's all Ressler could manage to say. The criminal never ceased to amaze the agent, of course he would buy Keen a fucking apartment.

"Yeah. I don't want it. I don't want anything from him. All the money he has is made from his highly illegal business dealings, and I want nothing connecting me to that. Plus, I've been living in motels for so long that going back to living in an apartment is a big change I don't think I could handle at the moment."

Ressler couldn't help but laugh. "Fair play. I don't think I could accept anything off him either, although it would probably be a lot better than a motel room."

"Probably."

They lapsed in to silence and finished their drinks, both placing their empty mugs on the table at the same time. Liz yawned loudly, signalling that it was probably time for them both to go to bed. Ressler grabbed the bedding for her but when she made no move to get it, he noticed that somehow, in the space of ten seconds, she'd fallen in to a deep sleep in her curled up position. Knowing that is probably wasn't worth the risk of waking her, he simply wrapped the blanket round her small frame and placed the pillow next to her. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch her shoulder, knowing it was an unnecessary move.

Both their dreams were filled with images of dead children, some so graphic that the shock physically pulled them from the depths of sleep, only for them to full back in to an uneasy one moments later.

* * *

Morning came and Liz awoke to the smell of bacon and coffee. A delightful way to wake up if you were used to nothing more than people pounding on walls when the neighbours TV was playing too loud. After relieving herself and giving her face a quick wash, she went in search of the tempting breakfast, only to stop dead in her tracks when she spotted her overnight bag by the couch. It puzzled her as to how it got there because, one, she didn't put it there, and two, last she knew it was in the trunk of her car.

"Ressler?"

"Yeah?" He called from the kitchen.

"Did you, by any chance, take a trip to my motel this morning?"

"Yeah. You needed a change of clothes and I woke up early."

"Okay, as long as I'm not going mental. For a second I thought Reddington had something to do with it."

Ressler appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray with food and coffee on. He was fully dressed, hair perfectly styled, looking like he'd had the worst nights sleep of his life. Liz didn't comment. They ate in silence and as Liz stood up to get ready, Ressler realised he'd forgotten to tell her something.

"We're running late by the way. Samar's covering for us."

Liz raised an eyebrow, a lightly amused expression on her face. "You do realise she'll make something out of nothing?"

Ressler, too, smiled, not caring if she did. "Probably."

* * *

_**EEK! Almost finished. The next chapter will be a long one (hopefully) and full of lots of... well...**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_There it is folks! Final chapter done and dusted. I have no idea whether this is good enough - I've never written anything like this before so please, please let me know whether you liked it and what I could have done differently/better. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited, it really does mean a lot to know that people out there actually enjoy my stuff. Now that this is finished, hopefully I'll have more time to update my other fics._**

* * *

The sixth time it happened, it couldn't really be counted because she didn't actually _sleep_ there. She may have found herself laid out on the couch, her bare back pressed against the soft cushions with her partner hovering over her and grinning but the art of sleeping _definitely_ had nothing to do with it.

* * *

He'd been undercover in Canada for six months, working on catching Douglas Lint; a man who prayed on weak members of illegal organisations to gain access and work his way up and take over. The thing with Lint (The Mountain Man Reddington had dubbed him) was, when he'd finished with his targets, he'd lure them to a meeting, drug them and leave them stranded to die on the mountains - hence the name.

Ressler had been sent to play the part of the weakling of a money laundering operation tipped to be the Mountain Mans newest target. Reddington had wanted to nip Lints plan in the bud fairly quickly (and use the business for himself, though he didn't quite come out and say that), but no one had expected it to take so long.

The Post Office hadn't been the same since he had let with promises to everyone - and her again in the privacy of their shared office - that he would return safely within the next few weeks. That was the original time frame estimated by Reddington, based on Lints previous targets. Steadily, however, those weeks had turned in to months and even Reddington could no longer say when Ressler would be able to return. "_I'm sorry, Lizzie, things are much more complicated than we first thought_." She had had to walk away from the criminal at that point for fear of lashing out at him if she stayed any longer.

It took precisely three months, one week and four days for Liz to finally admit to herself that, the day Ressler left, he took a little piece of her with him. It took those three months, one week and four days to realise that Ressler was much more than her partner or even her friend - he was the man she was in love with. She had taken to letting herself in to his apartment after a stressful day of trying to find a way of wrapping up the case, sitting on the couch she had made her bed on many occasions and staring blankly at the wall opposite. She would deny ever doing it of course, but sitting there and taking in his scent that still lingered around the apartment helped calm her, until she left and resumed working on a way to bring him home safely.

Six months passed before anything happened. Reddington got word that Lint had discovered Resslers real identity, but before he and Cooper could pull him out, Lint had managed to overpower him and both had gone off the radar. If Liz could have killed Reddington for sending her partner out there she would have, but right now, she needed him to bring Ressler back. And that he did. Granted it too three days to actually locate Lint and Ressler, and a further two of Ressler being kept in a Canadian hospital for observation before Reddington flew Ressler home on his private jet. Liz wasn't able to meet them at the airport, having been in court at the time of arrival, but once free she didn't even bother returning to the Post Office to brief Cooper on the day, she drove straight to Resslers apartment. He'd been instructed to go straight home and not to come in for a week, something which he'd tried to argue about in good Ressler fashion. Liz, once again, let herself in to his apartment, closing the door softly behind her and pressing her back up against it.

He was here, she could tell. She didn't have to see him to know he was there, and sure enough, not even a minute after closing the door, Ressler appeared from the bathroom doorway, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped round his waist.

"You didn't have to dress up for me, you know." He gave her his signature half smile and waved his hand up and down, gesturing to her clothes (her court attire consisted of a black pencil skirt, white blouse and black blazer, finished off with shiny black heeled pumps that gave her an extra five inches) . He gave a slight, barely there wince when he moved, the type that if she hadn't been his partner for so long, she wouldn't have noticed it.

"I thought you were dead." It came out as a strangled sob, which wasn't what she intended. In fact, she hadn't intended to say that at all. She _had_ intended to say something funny but seeing him appear there, covered in cuts, scraps and bruises, her mind flashed back to the three days where she didn't know if he was dead or alive. She clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling the sob and suppressed any more that were threatening to come. It took her a minute to realise that Ressler had started to move towards her and there was now very little distance between them.

"You can't get rid of me that easy. I'm fine, Keen." He placed his hands on her shoulders to try and calm her. It worked and her breathing began to slow but, before she could stop herself, she started to move her hands.

They found way to his stomach first, fingers tracing up towards his chest, following the hard lines of muscle he's worked so hard to achieve. He tensed in front of her but didn't make any attempt to stop her, instead keeping his hands on her shoulders and staring directly in to her eyes. She ran her hands up to his shoulders next, noting the heated, damp skin beneath her fingers - he had just come out of the shower after all. Liz was breaking all the boundaries they had, but still, Ressler made no attempt to stop her, not even as she trailed lightly up his neck and spread her palm over his cheek. He leaned in to it and relaxed slightly.

"I thought you were dead." Liz whispered again, still with her gaze locked on to his. He saw the pain behind her eyes, the turmoil that she'd gone through when he'd been missing. He gripped her shoulders and pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest. She settled there, nestled in to the crook of his neck, arms around him like vines, like her life depended on it. Neither knew how long they stayed wrapped around each other, both too content to move. They did eventually break apart, and that was when Liz did something she thought she would regret.

She didn't really think about what she was doing but, as they broke away, she leaned up ever so slightly a placed the lightest of kisses upon his lips. She felt him freeze and moved away, avoiding his gaze.

"S-sorry." She stuttered over the word. "I'm... sorry."

She tried to move away but Ressler wouldn't let her. Instead, he lifted her chin and placed an equally as light kiss upon her own lips. They both stared at each other, not entirely sure what they were supposed to do or say now that boundaries had been crossed until...

"What the hell."

Ressler pushed Liz back against the door, pressing his body against hers, crashing his lips back against her soft ones. She responded by tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling him further down to her as she kicked off her heels, flinging them a couple of feet away from then.. Ressler made fast work of the buttons of her blouse, somehow managing to keep them all intact even in his haste. She released her grip on his hair and he pushed her blouse and blazer off her shoulders, the articles falling to the floor at their feet.

Liz roughly pushed back against him, guiding him towards the living room, slipping her skirt off as they went, leaving her in just her underwear. Ressler noticed this, and in one swift movement, her bra was unclasped, straps slowly slipping down her arms. He took her breasts in his hands, kneading them in his palms and tugging gently at her nipples, causing her to moan with pleasure as she deepened their kissing. The back of his legs hit the arm of the couch, causing him to fall back on to it, taking Liz with him.

Ressler shuffled back on the couch, pushing himself till he was laying full length across it, Liz straddling him. She could feel his stiffness beneath her, making her grin against his lips. Liz tried to move from him to unwrap the towel from his waist but he stopped her, instead effortlessly flipping them over and pressing her in to the cushions. He hooked a finger around the edge of her panties and pulled them down, Liz lifting up just high enough for the material to slid off, leaving her completely naked. Resslers throat went dry at the sight of her before him, he'd been so caught up in the moment, he hadn't actually taken the time to appreciate the woman in front of him.

"Beautiful..." It came out in a barely audible whisper, but still she caught it, making her blush before pulling him back down to her. She gave him another deep, long kiss before finally being able to remove his towel, throwing it to floor and admiring him with a smirk. "Not so bad yourself."

Hovering over her, Ressler grinned before leaning down and sucking on her neck, hard enough that they both knew marks would be left. Liz didn't care, she liked the feeling too much to mind. he moaned in pleasure and pushed her body up against his, their naked flesh touching caused shivers to run through them. Still nuzzling at her neck, Ressler lowered himself between Liz's legs, spreading them as he guided himself inside her. She gasped as and dug her nails in to his sides as he pushed himself in, pulled out then pushed in again. With each thrust, he pushed in deeper than before, causing Liz to moan again and again at the sensation. With each thrust he increased his speed, moving harder and faster, causing the couch to move slightly with them. If Liz could focus on anything other than the man on top of her, she would have been aware that the neighbours could hear them.

"Oh... Don!" A feeling she hadn't felt in months was building in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes and arched her back as she let Ressler fill her. His breath was coming out in pants as he tried to keep control but she knew he wouldn't last much longer, and to be honest, neither could she.

Ressler felt Liz started to shudder underneath him as she found her release, clenching around him and trembling as she dug her nails in to his shoulders screaming "oh, fuck!" He followed seconds later, with a strangled cry before stiffening and whispering her name.

"Liz... fucking hell... Liz."

He flipped them back over and pulled her to his chest, both panting for air. They would, later, admit to it being the best sex of their lives but right now they were just content to lying there listening to the others rapid breathing. They stayed there for a while, neither wanting to disrupt the comfortable silence they were sharing until Liz's naked form started to shiver in the cool air.

"We should move." He whispered gently in her ear and she nodded against him before pulling herself reluctantly away. He pulled himself up and stood next to her, snaking his arms around her waist, kissing her softly. "Join me?"

She nodded and kissed him back, only to find that she couldn't pull back away from him. They didn't make it to the bedroom for round two.

* * *

Liz called in sick the next day, not wanting to leave the comfort of the bed, and the company it held. They spent the day curled up next to each other, only parting to use the restroom or to scavenge for food. They'd only had one night together, but both were happier than they'd ever been.


End file.
